Article feeding device



March 1964 K. P. EASTERDAY ETAL 3,123,199

ARTICLE FEEDING DEVICE Filed May 17, 1960 KR5H5TE U/1 .ZJE/WHE'QQE'E'E'J7 TUFPNE'H United States Patent 3,123,199 ARTICLE FEEDING DEVICEKenneth P. Easterday, Bethlehem, and Donald S.

Magargee, Center Valley, Pa., assignors to Western Electric Company,Incorporated, New York, N.Y.,

a corporation of New York Filed May 17, 1960, Ser. No. 29,741 4 Claims.(Cl. 198-33) This invention relates to article feeding devices andparticularly to a vibratory feed track for feeding articles, such as,wafers utilized in semi-conductor devices.

In the manufacture of semi-conductor devices, after the relatively smallthin wafers are etched to a particular dimension, an operator feed theWafers individually into a gaging machine. One of the problemsencountered in feeding the wafers is that the operator must separatedoubled-up wafers that tend to stick one on top of another. Thisoperation requires not only the need of many operators but also resultsin the consumption of much time.

The principal object of this invention is a device for separatingdoubled-up articles and advancing them singularly along a given path.

According to the general features of this invention, a vibrator isconnected to a feed track and normally uniform amplitude vibrations areimparted thereto causing the track to vibrate and advance the articlestherealong. Periodically, a relatively high amplitude pulseissuperimposed on the low vibrations to jolt the articles apart fromeach other during their movement along the track to insure a single feedof the articles.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will beapparent from the following detailed description when considered inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the feed track;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the feed track as seen from the plane ofline 2-2 of FIG. :1 and the vibrator;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the feed track as seen from the plane ofline 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the feed track as seen along the plane ofline 44 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the feed track as seen along the plane ofline 5-5 of FIG. 1.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the invention isincorporated in an article feeding device, generally referred to at 10.The device extends and leads into a machine 11, such as a gaging machinefor measuring the thickness of Wafer-like articles, hereinafter referredto as wafers 9. However, it is to be understood at this time that thewafers and gaging machine for receiving the wafers are simplyillustrative with respect to the use of the feeding device 10, as anyother articles and feed receiving means can be utilized.

The feeding device 10 has a grooved feed track 12 commencing from adish-like reservoir '13, located at one end of the device for receivingthe wafers, and extends longitudinally the length of the device. Thegrooved track 12 starts with a round bottom, U-shaped crosssection atits entrance end 14 and changes progressively to a V-shaped slot at itsexit end 15, the exit end leading into the gaging machine 11. Aplurality of steps 16 extend along the bottom portion of the groovedtrack inclining upwardly from the entrance end 14 to aid in separatingdoubled-up wafers, as hereinafter described.

The feeding device 10* is mounted on a conventional type vibratingapparatus 20. 'From a source 21, low amplitude vibrating pulses areemit-ted to the vibrator 20 for imparting a vibratory movement to thedevice 10 causing the wafers to advance along the track. From a source22, a relatively high amplitude vibrating pulse 3,123,199 Patented Mar.3, 1964 is superimposed periodically on the low amplitude pulses causingthe track to be jolted periodically to space the Wafers apart fnom eachother during their movement along the track. Also, as a result of thehigh amplitude pulses, pairs of or doubled-up wafers are separated fromeach other due to the sudden jolt imparted thereto, especially when thedoubled-up wafers strike the risers 23 of steps 16 in response to thehigh amplitude vibrations.

In operation, wafers are placed in the reservoir 13 and low amplitudevibrations, superimposed by periodic pulses of high amplitude, areimparted to the feeding device '10 to advance the wafers from thereservoir 13 along the track. The wafers are gradually lifted from ahorizontal to a substantially vertical position for subsequent entryinto the gaging machine by the change in contour of the grooved track12. Chips and broken wafers advancing from the reservoir '13 dropthrough a plurality of apertures 24 located in the track slightly pastthe reservoir. In this manner, it is assured that only whole wafersadvance along the track into the machine 11.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simplyillustrative of the application of the principles of the invention.Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled inthe art which will embody the principles of the invention and fallwithin the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. -A feed device for feeding and separating small thin, fiat wafersfrom their normally resting horizontal position to a substantiallyvertical position into a machine, which comprises, a feed track havingat the entrance end thereof a reservoir for receiving wafers to be fedalong the track, the track having a substantially U-shaped groovecommunicating with the reservoir and progressively changing to asubstantially V-shaped groove at the exit end of the track causing thewafers to be lifted from a horizontal to a predominately verticalposition, at least one elevated step disposed along the bottom portionof the groove for separating doubled-up wafers, and vibratory meansconnected to the track for emitting normally uniform low amplitudevibrations for Vibrating the track to feed the wafers from the reservoirand advance the wafers along the groove in the track and relatively highamplitude vibrations superimposed periodically on the low vibrations forspacing the wafers being fed along the groove into the track.

2.. A device for feeding and separating small thin, fiat waters fromtheir normally resting predominately horizontal orientation to apredominately ventical orientation into a machine which comprises a feedtrack for receiving the Wafers to be fed along the track and having arelatively wide, substantially U-shaped groove changing to a relativelynarrow, substantially V-shaped groove at the exit end of the track forcausing the wafers to be changed from a predominately horizontalorientation to a predominately vertical orientation, the track having atleast one step disposed therein for separating doubled-up wafers, andvibratory means connected to the track for emitting normally uniform lowamplitude vibrations for vibrating the track to advance the Wafers alongthe track and relatively high amplitude vibrations superimposedperiodically on the low vibrations for spacing the articles from eachother to facilitate the separation of the doubledup wafers.

'3. A device for feeding and separating small thin, flat wafers fromtheir normally resting predominately horizontal orientation to apredominately vertical orientation into a machine which comprises a feedtrack having at the entrance end thereof a reservoir for receiving a supply of waters to be fed along the track, the track having a relativelywide, substantially U-shaped groove adjacent to the reservoir andprogressively changing to a relatively narrow, substantially V-shapcdgroove at the exit end of the track for causing the Wafers to be changedfrom a predominately horizontal orientation to a predominately verticalorientation, and vibratory means connected to the track for emittingnormally uniform low amplitude vibrations for vibrating the track toadvance the wafers along the track and relatively high amplitudevibrations superimposed periodically on the low vibrations for spacingthe articles from each other to facilitate the separation of thedoubled-upwafers.

4. A device for feeding small thin, fiat Wafers and discharging thewafers from the device in a substantially vertical orientation whichcomprises a feed track having a reservoir for receiving a supply ofrandomly oriented wafers to be fed along the track, the track having arelatively Wide groove communicating with the reservoir, the Walls ofthe groove converging towards the exit end thereof, the groove in thetrack being relatively narrow at the exit end of the track causing theWafers to be oriented in a predominately vertical position as they are 4discharged from the track, at least one step disposed along the bottomportion of the groove for separating doubledup Wafers, and vibratorymeans connected to the track for emitting vibrations at a predeterminedrate for advancing the Wafers along the track and causing the dischargeof oriented wafers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSGermany Mar. 3, 1930 OTHER REFERENCES AMI Product Digest, Micro FeederModel EBR-0O (a), Afiiliated Mfgs. Inc., P. O. Box 211, Oldwick, N1,pub- 20 lished October 15, 1958.

UNITED STATES'PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 l23l99 March 3 1964 Kenneth PQEastergday et all,

r It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patentrequiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read ascorrected below.

Column l line 27 before "amplitude" insert low Signed and sealed this7th day of July 1964.

SEAL) ttest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER ERNEST W. SWIDER ttesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. A FEED DEVICE FOR FEEDING AND SEPARATING SMALL THIN, FLAT WAFERS FROMTHEIR NORMALLY RESTING HORIZONTAL POSITION TO A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALPOSITION INTO A MACHINE, WHICH COMPRISES, A FEED TRACK HAVING AT THEENTRANCE END THEREOF A RESERVOIR FOR RECEIVING WAFERS TO BE FED ALONGTHE TRACK, THE TRACK HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED GROOVECOMMUNICATING WITH THE RESERVOIR AND PROGRESSIVELY CHANGING TO ASUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPED GROOVE AT THE EXIT END OF THE TRACK CAUSING THEWAFERS TO BE LIFTED FROM A HORIZONTAL TO A PREDOMINATELY VERTICALPOSITION, AT LEAST ONE ELEVATED STEP DISPOSED ALONG THE BOTTOM PORTIONOF THE GROOVE FOR SEPARATING DOUBLED-UP WAFERS, AND VIBRATORY MEANSCONNECTED TO THE TRACK FOR EMITTING NORMALLY UNIFORM LOW AMPLITUDEVIBRATIONS FOR VIBRATING THE TRACK TO FEED THE WAFERS FROM THE RESERVOIRAND ADVANCE THE WAFERS ALONG THE GROOVE IN THE TRACK AND RELATIVELY HIGHAMPLITUDE VIBRATIONS SUPERIMPOSED PERIODICALLY ON THE LOW VIBRATIONS FORSPACING THE WAFERS BEING FED ALONG THE GROOVE INTO THE TRACK.